Coiling door



March 22, 1927. W c. GRANT ET AL COILING DOOR Filed Aug. 29, 1925 2.Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS. WILLIAM. C. GRAN?- gD ARD J. THOMAS. v EOR.w-o Ew. fl b 3 ATTORNEYS.

March 22, 1927. w. (1 GRANT ET AL COILING DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR$ 'WILLIAM. C. GRANT.

EDWARD I THOMAS. GEQRG- 32 w- Drge: w.

ATTORNEYS.

Filed Aug. 29, 1925 Patented Mar. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

DREW, OI OAKLAND, CALI- OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, A

COHIING DOOR.

Application filed August 29, 1925. Serial No. 53,305.

The present invention relates to coiling doors or closures for largeopenings such as the doors of warehouses, hangars and balloon sheds, andthe object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism forcelling and uncoiling the door, provlslon being made for supporting thedoor at intervals along its entire length.

Amon the various features of our invention we have developed aparticular manner of hanging the slats from a supporting track in whicha slotted strap is hung from trolleys mounted on the track and asupport-- ing tape is loosely mounted in the slot of the strap. Thesestraps will be secured to different intermediate slats at regularintervals and the slats are supported from the tape above mentioned. Thelower ends of the slats are held in proper relation by a cable extendingthrough the slats and also by a guiding tape. A box or housing isprovlded for coiling the closure and has a rotary table which supportsthe base of the slats after their carrying rollers leave the track.

Other improved details will be apparent from the following description,reference being had to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a brokenelevation of an opening in a building or other structure having two ofour coiling closures fitted therein to meet at the center.

Figure 2 is an inside elevation showing part of the housing for thecoiled closure as if taken in the direction of the arrow 2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is an elevation of Figure 2 in the direction of the arrowshowing part ofthe housing and sectional View of the slats on the line3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along lines H of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross-section detail of the track, and carriage with thesupport for the slats.

Figure 6 is an elevation of an upper door section.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section of two of the slats taken on the line77 of Figure 6 in the direction of the arrow.

'lation will necessari Figure 8 is a diagram on a reduced scaleillustrating the relation of the rope drum to the coiling door.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic plan of the rotary table and. reel upon whichthe door is coiled.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 2, and 3, the coiling door,designated generally by the numerall, comprises a plurality of vertlcalslats 2, hinged together at their edges to form a flexible closure whichmay be wound or coiled onto a vertical reel 4 positioned ina housing 3.The door is supported at intervals along its length by trolleys 5, wh1chtravel on rails 6, suitably suspended from the frame of the building. Asshown in Figure 5, the rails 6, are formed as integral flanges of thebeam 58, which is hung by brackets 8 from bars 9, which are secured toany suitable element of the building. At its upper surface, the beam isbent to form a trough-like depression to receive the rope 20. Each ofthe trolleys 5 comprises a pair of rollers 10 and an axle 11, from whichis suspended a strap 12, preferably formed by doubllng a strip of metalinto the shape illustrated, leaving a loop or slot 13 at its lower endto receive a flexible steel tape 14, wh1ch extends throughout the lengthof the door. In the embodiment shown, a trolley is provided for everythird slat, but this rey vary with the weight of the door and with otherfactors. Those slats which are directly attached to the straps 12 I havedesignated by the numerallG and may speak of as main slats. Each mainslat 1s provlded at its u per end with a slot 17 to receive the loopsend'of strap 12, which is secured therein by means of bolts 15.

The intermediate slats 18 are provided Wltl'l narrower slots to receivethe tape 14, to which they are secured by pins orrivets 19.

Near the lower edge of the door, asteel binding cable 20 is secured bylugs 21 to the end slats and extends through apertures in all the slatsso as to hold them together. One or more of these cables may be used inaccordance with the height of the opening in which the closure is fittedbut one cable is preferably placed at about the elevation at which aperson or vehicle would run or bump agalnst the closure. I

A second ta e 22 is threaded through slots in the lower e ge of theslats and each of the slats having a rivet or pin 23 engaging the lowerend of the tape. i

The reel for supporting and windm 1n the coiling closure is constructedas fol ows;

Having reference particularly to Flgures 2, 3, and 4, the houslng 3 ispreferably rectangular or box shaped havin a substantlal base 24 and ahead 25 forme of metal and rigidly connected by metal or wooden side anular flange 60 to engage the rope. It w' 1 thus be seen that as the ropeis drawn in and wound on the drum the outermost trolley will be ulledalong the track and the others will ollow engaging in the track insuccession.- The supporting tape 14, the binding cables 20 and thebinding tape 22 will guide the slats into proper osition. An. idlerroller 61 is positioned at the lower part of the housing adjacent theturn table 41 to guide the lower part of the coiling closure in itsinward and outward movement. The track is also slightly flared asindicated in 62, Figure 9.

walls 26. A socket 27 is centrally positioned It is manifest that theoperating mechaon the base and contains a thrust bearing 28 forming ajournal for the reel 4. This reel 4 has a lower shaft 29 engaging in therotary element of a. bearing 28 and adjustably secured to a hollow core30 by clamping bolts 31 or the like. The upper end of the core isconnected to an upper shaft 32 which extends through a journal 33 andcarries a loose drum gear 34 to which is secured a rope drum 35 bybolts'35 or the like. Discs 36 and 37 are adjustably secured to the core30 by means of clamp bolts 38 or the like and function to hold thecoiled slats in proper relation, and are provided at 39 and 40 withprojecting studs to engage the end slat at the level of the tape 14 andcable 20 respectively. Instead of two discs, more may be used ifdesired.

A turn table 41 is secured to the lower shaft 29 by clamping bolts 42 orthe like.

The rope drum is rotated to coil the slats in the housing by means of acrank 43 engaging in a socket 44 which through the pair of bevel gears45 and the vertical shaft 46 leads to a pinion 47 meshing with teeth 48on the periphery of the turn table 41. Therefore,

on rotation of the crank the turn table, the vertical shaft, the drumand the reel are rotated thereby drawing the slats into the housing.After they run off the end of the track as indicated in Figures 2 and 9,the slats will be wound upon the coil. The track 5 ends immediatelyinside the housing, leaving sufficient room therein for the Wholeclosure to be coiled.

The closure is drawn out or uncoiled by shifting the crank 43 to asocket 49 which retates a pair of bevel gears 50 carrying the rotarymotion through a vertical shaft 51 to a top pinion 52 which meshes withteeth 53 on the drum gear 34. Assuming the closure is coiled in thehousing, when the crank 43 is rotated in the proper direction the rope54 will be wound on the drum 35. This rope leads over idler-pulleys 55,56, and 57, in the upper portion of the track and thence around a returnpulley 59 near the end of the travel of the particular closure. The ropeis connected to one of the trolleys and preferably to the end trolleywhich has an nism for coiling the closure into the housing and forextending it may be operated by power mechanism such as electric motorwith power connections to the turn table 41 and to the .drum gear 34.The details of construction can also be materially changed in accordancewith the requirements of particular situations or the size of theclosure to be constructed. Also guide rollers or the like can be used atthe bottom of the slats and run in a track. It is also manifest that theslats may be made of metal instead of wood as shown in the presentdesign.

It will be noted that some of the important features of our inventionare supporting slats from a su porting tape which is carried at intervas by the trolleys 5 having the rollers operating on the tracks, with theintermediate slats hung loosely on this supportlng tape. The overheadtrack system supporting this type of closure is an im ortant feature andco-operatin therewit is the rotary turn table 41 whic supports the slatsafter they leave the track.

Having described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In a coiling closure comprising a series of vertical slats, means tosuspend the slats from their upper ends, a housing-having a rotary turntable adjacent its base, a vertical shaft mounted on said turn table, acore mounted on the shaft, discs mounted on the core, a second shaftextending above the core, a rope drum mounted on the second shaft and arope extending from the drum to a point adjacent the extreme outerposition on the coiling closure.

2. A coiling closure comprising in combination an overhead track, aseries of trolleys mounted thereon, slotted straps depending from saidtrolleys, a supporting tape threaded through the slots of the straps anda series of vertical slats hung by their upper ends from the saidsupporting ta e.

3. A coiling closure, as claime in claim 2, in which some of said slatsare secured to the slotted strap and the intermediate slats are looselysuspended on the tape.

4. A coiling closure comprising in combination an overhead track, aseries of trolleys depressed having rollers running on the track,slotted straps depending from the rollers, a supporting tape threadedthrough the slots of the straps, slats clamped to the slotted straps anda series of intermediate slats suspended from said supporting tape.

5. A coiling closure comprising in combination an overhead track havinga plurality of rails with a slot there between, a series of trolleyseach having a pair of rollers running on the tracks, slotted strapsdepending from the rollers supporting tape threaded through the straps,vertical slats secured at their upper ends to the said straps and aseries of intermediate slats suspended from the supporting tape.

6. A coiling closure, as claimed in claim 5, in which the overhead trackis formed of a substantially rectangular beam having a depressed portionin the upper portion, said ortion being adapted to form a guideway. or arope, a rope in said guideway and a connection from the end of the ropeto one of the trolleys.

A coiling closure comprising an overhead track, a plurality of trolleysmovable thereon, a closure element comprising vertical slats suspendedfrom said trolleys, a

turntable, means to operate said turntable to coil the closure elementwith the lower ends of the slats resting on the turntable, a drumadjacent said turntable, a rope coiled on said drum and extending to theoutermost trolley, and means to wind the rope on the drum and therebyextend the closure element across an opening.

8. A coiling closure comprising an overhead track, a plurality oftrolleys movable thereon, a closure element comprising vertical slatssuspended from said trolley, a turntable, means to operate saidturntable to coil the closure element with the lower ends of the slatsresting on the turntable, a reel mounted on said turntable and having ashaft extending above the level of the said closure, a drum looselymounted on said shaft, a rope extending from said drum to one of theoutermost trolleys, and means to operate the drum to wind the ropethereon, and thereby extend the closure element.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

WILLIAM C. GRANT. EDWARD J. THOMAS. GEORGE W. DREW.

